Search House Nerd

Lately I have been floored by the number of people who have talked to me about wanting to start their own blog. These people want to blog for numerous reasons – as an aid to establish their start-up, diarise their home renovation or build, enhance their freelance career prospects or just for fun.

I don’t feel like I am a blogging expert – at least not yet! But I have learned so much about the blog world since I started House Nerd in September 2012, and in that time I have made many, many dumb mistakes! So for all the people who have asked me for my advice, this post is for you. Here are my twelve bits of advice for new and wannabe bloggers.

Unless you are some kind of effortlessly brilliant writing genius who spills Tolstoy from his fingertips, blogging well takes a looong time. Think of how long you think it will take you to write a post and add forty minutes. Then times that by six. That’s probably about right. Times it by ten if you are a perfectionist! I am and I know that being a perfectionist can be maddening.

2. Outline your intentions for your blog from the beginning.

It’s not very romantic, but I work as a full-time writer and I started House Nerd with the aim of turning it in into a part of my job, which it has become. You might not want to blog for career reasons. Maybe for you a blog is a memory-keeping thing you’d like your kids to read one day when they’re older. Or you just want to write or explore something creative. Maybe you love all things makeup and skincare and can think of nothing better than PRs sending you free product to review for your hobby beauty blog.

For the purpose of this post, I’m going to presume that a lot of you are reading this because you want to blog to create a part-time income, as an aid to a fledgling small business or to enhance your career prospects.

Whatever you want out of your blog, writing down two or three goals for it will be a big help. Be honest! No-one is going to make fun of you, because no-one is going to read it except you, except your little sister if she goes through your diary. So write whatever comes to mind, even if you feel a little silly. “I want to have a Julie and Julia moment and score a book deal with stacks of publishers leaving me voice messages and it would be pretty good to live above a pizza shop too.” Write it down. It will give you direction when maintaining a blog is the last thing you feel like doing.

3. You can avoid RSI.

One of my biggest dumb mistakes? Resizing hundreds of photos for posts, one by one, in MS Paint to make them web-size. Use a program that will do it for you in seconds. Mr Nerd found one for me called PIXresizer.

PIXResizer: It's not pretty, and every time I see the picture of the grey-haired dude it makes me think of Bill Clinton, but this program does the trick.

4. A blog is not a necessity for freelances and small business owners.

Don’t blog unless you really want to write, and unless you have the time and energy to devote to it. I probably would not suggest you start a blog if you feel obligated, like a blog is something “you should do”. For example, if you are starting a small business and you feel like a blog "should be" part of your brand.

For many small business owners, blogging is not a necessity. It might seem like it is, and writing a blog may at first seem attractive and fun. That will wear off! Blogging – and blogging well - takes a long time, and you are going to be even more busy and tired when your business starts picking up. Investing your time and energy into social media – Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest – could be much more beneficial for you than writing blog posts. You are going to have to do that stuff for business purposes anyway. Add a blog into the mix and you are going to be even more time-pressed. I am not trying to put a dampener on anyone’s spirits. But I know from friends that running a start-up is exhausting and time-consuming and you don’t need another chore. You don’t need to blog. You have social media for that. Social media will most likely work much better for your business goals than a blog will.

If you have a start-up and blogging still sounds attractive, you could create a blog section to your website and update it once a month with snippets from your latest projects to show people you’re busy, working and growing. That’s all you need.

Keep updating it, though. I know this sounds kind of mean, and maybe this is just me, but if I am checking out someone’s website and they have a blog section and their last post was in November 2012, it makes me think that that person’s career has gone downhill since then or that they have lost their drive. I think, “Oh, are they even still working in this role?”

So if you are a working professional and have a blog section on your website, do try to post just once a month. Collate some pics from Instagram and Facebook and just put together a short breezy update, like you’re too busy with paid jobs to blog (and chances are you will be).

6. Blogging can be one of the best things you do for your career.

I know I seem to be contradicting myself here, but if you are working in the media or in a creative profession and you are wondering how to put yourself and your work out there, blog! If you want to catapult a career in writing, journalism, marketing, styling, public relations, interior design, marketing, art, photography, music, whatever, blogging is the most fantastic avenue for self-promotion.

These days potential employers WILL search for you on Facebook and Google before they consider calling you in for an interview, which is kind of a pity because if you Google me one of the things that comes up is this picture of me with Ronnie Coleman from my bodybuilding magazine days.

Yet since I started House Nerd, I get emails every week from people asking me about doing work for them. Many people trip over my blog and sometimes it turns into a real opportunity. I never expected this and naively didn’t even think about this when I started House Nerd, but starting a blog has been THE best thing I have done for making contacts and boosting my profile. In fact before I started House Nerd I’m not even sure I would consider what I had a profile, at all, and I can’t believe I didn’t even have a website portfolio for my writing work before House Nerd. If you have something positive going on, there will be people who will want you to work with you. A blog is a fantastic way to create an online, ongoing portfolio to showcase your talents.

In certain fields you can also be worth more as an employer or a contractor if you have a following. For example, many publishing companies these days tend to look favourably upon emerging and established writers who have a blog, are active on social media and already have a fan base. They know there is value in a writer having a network of fans already in place to sell books to. You could argue that’s better than an author no-one knows nothing about. (And think of how many big-name bloggers have scored book deals!)

7. Promoting your blog through social media is going to suck up a lot of time.

Something else that shows you how much of a dinosaur I was when I decided to branch into online writing - I didn’t have an Instagram, Twitter or Pinterest before blogging. I didn’t know how Facebook Pages worked, I didn’t even know what Bloglovin’ was! I was very naïve about the amount of time I would have to spend maintaining social media and answering emails.

8. Get all your social media outlets up there and out there from the get-go.

Even if you haven’t started blogging much yet. Even if you don’t focus on one of your social media outlets too much in the beginning, let it be there, just slowly ticking subscribers along. Get on Instagram straight away. Or Facebook. Or Twitter. If you don’t want to use all social media avenues, pick one or two and focus on making it really good. Make sure you have Bloglovin’ set up from the get go (I didn’t, and wish I had now) and at least have a Facebook page or an Instagram. My personal favourite social media avenue is Instagram. It hasn’t (yet) been tweaked by revenue-raising algorithms like Facebook has, and the people on there are just a really nice bunch – I’ve met some who have actually become really good friends.

9. Use Facebook sparingly for your blog promotion.

I’m not an expert on Facebook algorithms, but I think you should be very careful about over-posting. Post too often on your blog fan page and Facebook will start to limit the number of people who see each post.

About two years ago Facebook put new systems into place with the aim of reducing spam and also to entice brands and businesses to pay for posts (although, fair enough. Facebook is a business like any other). All of a sudden, a lot of bloggers were finding that their posts saw a HUGE drop in engagement. For example, Jen Bishop who writes the Interiors Addict blog has an impressive Facebook following – a massive 29k – yet sometimes she will have a post that gets maybe two to five likes. Nothing at all in comparison to her huge fan base and it’s because of these new Facebook algorithms.

Say you have 1000 Facebook fans liking your blog page. You might presume that if you put up a status update announcing that you have written a new blog post that 1000 people will see it. Not necessarily. Facebook might show that post to only 500 people. Then if you post again the same day, Facebook might show that post to only 100 people. And if you post a third time the next day, only a fraction.

The more you post, the more you run the risk of each post’s reach being limited. I know that Facebook and a lot of social media consultants actually advise businesses and brands to post or share content on Facebook three times a day, to ‘stay in people’s minds’, but I think this system is dated, and I personally have had much better success driving traffic from Facebook to my blog when I don’t post too often.

So, post sparingly. Post only the most interesting or newsworthy stuff when you do. Don’t be like that insipid Facebook friend who writes a status update about making toast. No-one wants to read about you making toast. Unless maybe Jesus is in your toast and then it better REALLY look like Him.

10. Announce your new blog posts at the right times.

You might have your blog linked to your Facebook so updates come out automatically (I use Networked Blogs for this) but make sure you formally announce your new blog posts at the optimal times for your readership. Don’t waste a good post posting about something or sharing good news at 10pm on a Saturday night, because a huge chunk of your readership isn’t going to see it. I like posting on Monday mornings, when many people are weeping at their desks and wanting a distraction.

11. Nice photos are important. If you suck at Photoshop, download some great photo editing apps.

Some good ones are VSCO Cam, Camera+ and Afterlight. And A Beautiful Mess for adding fonts.

ABOVE: Blogging makes me feel accountable to my readers, in a way. Honestly, I probably wouldn't be stuffed doing many of the things I do if I didn't blog! It's like a kick up the backside - for example, turning our junk room into a craft room. Blogging has definitely been good for our house. After photo by Heather Robbins of Red Images Fine Photography.

12. Blogging can change your life.

“Really?” you say skeptically. Yes, I know you are laughing! If you had told me that 18 months ago, I would have laughed too. But while starting a blog has been one of the hardest personal projects I have undertaken, it has also been one of the most rewarding. Blogging can improve your career and job prospects and connects you with loads of new people – I have met so many new people and made new friends, some who I have become extremely close with. Blogging is not always easy, and sometimes the amount of time and energy it takes has an effect on my social life, my friendships and my relationship – yet my life feels fuller now from writing House Nerd. I wouldn't give it up!

Do you write a blog? Have you ever thought about starting one? If you write a blog, I would love it if you’d share your advice with other bloggers or would-be bloggers below. Tell me what you’ve learned about blogging, or what you wish you knew when you began. Maya x

I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with blogging.
I started blogging back in 08 (I think?) and it was a different time back then. I absolutely loved connecting with other bloggers, and having a peek into their lives. But then somewhere along the line, blogging got so popular (maybe too popular). The people I was following started to seem less and less real. Too perfect or manufactured at times, and every post seemed like a full on commercial. They never seemed to talk about real life as they had before and I couldn’t relate anymore.
But, discovering blogs like yours, has made me want to get back into it. Of course you still post beautiful pictures etc, but you seem like such a real relatable person, and you talk about real life and real situations and I think that’s so refreshing.
I agree, that one of the best things about blogging is that it does motivate you to get things done. And maybe you will decorate your house that little bit more pretty, or put that little bit more effort into a meal you are making or a project you are working on.
I had this argument with my brother recently. His wife has become obsessed with Instagram lately. He complained that they’d never eaten dinner on fancy white plates before, or had so many flowers in the house, she even had a photo of my niece and nephew helping cook in the kitchen. My brother said she NEVER lets the kids in the kitchen, therefore it is not real life. But I say, Instagram or blogging or whatever, (as long as you stay true to who you are) it just makes you live life better! And there is nothing wrong with that!
?
xx

I agree with Abby quite a bit. I have blogged for a long long time too and it has definitely changed. It seems like attention spans are shorter and so you have to grab people quickly and with beautiful things. And life isn't always amazing and beautiful.
But, that being said, I do think it pushes you to have to work harder and do better. And in that sense, it is really motivating and empowering.

Reply

Hide Replies

Alena - Tuesday, June 17, 2014 at 8:26PM

<p>
<p>So true, Kim. <br.>
The other day, I read that in most blogs, people read only about 43% of each post.
Also, while searching for something, I accidentally came across a fairly interesting blog (at least I found it interesting) but it is one of those 'text only' blogs. No pictures. And even though I found the posts well written and to the point, most had no comments. Like you said, life isn't always amazing and beautiful and it not just the pretty things that count.</p>
<br>
<p>Great advice, Maya. So nice of you to pass your knowledge along. <br>
Belly rubs to my darlin'.</p>

Love your words Abby! I too agree that blog posts and social media feels manufactured at times and we are now all obsessing with perfection (homes, life, work). We are now showcasing what we want people to see and interpret and branding ourselves - it makes it difficult to get a real sense of reality at times. I am glad I read your post today, its put my next blog post into a little more perspective:)

Ah I agree with you Abby!! Or I suppose more to the point, I can really relate to your experience. I started my blog (on a drunken whim, oops!) in 2010 and I adored getting to know people who were just sharing bits of their real life online, although most of my blogging friends were from the States and had a few years on me. It seemed like I'd found my happy little niche! But yeah - advertising and perfection got in the way for a little while and it was too exhausting to keep up with.
Instagram has been a good kick up the butt to keep at it though, especially as the Perth cultural scene just seems to keep growing and growing - it's really inspiring and there's so many people (like Maya!) doing great things that are made accessible I spose through social media. Plus trying to maintain a blog is definitely a good challenge - it makes me determined to keep my life interesting by trying new things and putting myself out there.
I suppose my advice would be blogging can be an incredible experience and I'd highly recommend it, but only if someone is really committed - getting posts and photos together can be really exhausting!
Thanks for the awesome post, Maya! You've inspired me to keep at it :)

Great article, really thought provoking and interesting for someone who works in the industry, to see results from someone elses experience! I think its hilarious that other social media consultants recommend posting 3 times a day - thats around the consumption rate of a Twitter feed, not Facebook appropriate! I always recommend my clients post once every 2-3 days, to stay relevant, but not to overwhelm. I think Blogging is a great way to produce content and expose your brand (as you spoke about) but the biggest thing for anyone is time, and knowing where to start. Id be interested to see your take on "Where do I start with a Blog" - its something Im sure alot of people want to know!

Loved this post Maya. My life feels fuller since I've been blogging too, but I always feel ridiculous when I say or feel that.
I'm not sure if my blog will help me career wise, I don't feel my writing is that strong, but it would be great if something came out of it, though I'm not sure even what I want from it!
And I'm totally getting onto pixsizer,, resizing is a major gripe of mine xx

Love this post Maya! So honest and true. I was super excited and jumped straight into blogging, looking back more thought and process wold have been the key early on. My biggest tip now - SOCIAL MEDIA! Get on it, network, meet people and have fun. I have opened the doors to a whole bunch of new friends and love what blogging has done for me (so far!). Your blog is amazing, your feed is just divine and heck, if mine was anything like yours I would be stoked! Keep up the great work x

maya, what a great post, and great timing coinciding with the writing blog hop that is going around, where some of us are talking about our writing.
even with no commerical motivation behind my blogging (i have no business to promote), i agree with your insights: it takes way more time than you think; you need to be focussed/specific about your goals and scope; and it does motivate you to have a more beautiful life - if only so the pictures look good ;-) but what's wrong with that?!
i love house nerd. you should be very proud of what you have achieved in less than two years, maya!

Really enjoyed reading this post. For me I enjoy it as an outlet of expressing what I enjoy. It at times consumes me and sometimes I do not mind and other times I do. Definitely takes practice and is a progression. It has given me some great opportunities which I had not anticipated and also connected me with like minded people. At my day job I write up meetings of director meetings and sometimes I automatically fall back to this style of writing, so its a challenge to do up the posts. My blog keeps me creative. I love it and a little obsessed too. Just got on to the social media band wagon, gosh it is time consuming hahah! Didn't see that one coming!

That photo of you and Ronnie Coleman ???????? hilarious! Oh an resizer???!! How did I only just learn about that one awesome thank you for sharing with us!
I was completely ignorant when I first started my blog as to the time it would consume its crazy! I really thought I would be able to post so much more than what I do but I guess it's given me a whole new appreciation for the work that the bloggers I love actually do.
I am so with you on keeping yourself accountable I feel like I have this extra drive pushing me to complete and achieve things I said I would.
I'm all for keeping it real and totally agree with the other commenters above, same saminess is boring, your blog should express who you are (I think you do an amazing job of it Maya) .
I always love blogs where the blogger comes across as a genuine imperfect human x

Abby hit on a really good point, something which I totally agree with. I find it difficult to connect with the blogs and bloggers who have this picture perfect image. Sure on an aspirational front, it's all well and good but there's only so many beautifully composed photos I can look at. I'm interested in the content which is what keeps me coming back to reading certain blogs. I do love great photography though, so a good balance between that and the content is important for me. The time aspect you're very correct about, Maya. It takes more time than some (non-bloggers) may realize!

Hi Maya,
Really loved this post, yes definitely takes so much longer to post that what you think it will take. You have definitely motivated to get me back posting, although I could use baby Alex as an excuse (6 weeks old now)... I'm doing it, tomorrow;)
Sometimes my problem is I love the researching side to posts and then I'll move on to something else to research, hence not getting many posts out there.
I just recently done blogging your way, by decor8, and it really made me think about my integrity and which direction I want my blog to go. It's definitely the 'real' me, ups and downs and what I learn about home designing because that's my passion and to keep my integrity instead of selling out. I loved the course, it's just what I needed.
I'm definitely not a writer but from the course I realised I really want to help people & write an ebook on eco designing for WA conditions, simplified. Maybe you can recommend some designers for me to talk to?
Oh and Maya,
Maybe you should hold a workshop about blogging? So we can all meet each other and spread the blogging love!!

Great tips Maya, all so helpful to a first time blogger and something I wish I'd read before I started out almost 5 years ago. I think the point about having a clear purpose for your blog (and related to this, thinking carefully before choosing a blog name) is so important and really helps drive many decisions down the track. Even now, it is reminding myself of my blog's purpose that keeps me balanced. Blogging has definitely enriched my life in many ways too... made me appreciate little things more, be grateful and acknowledge the things that are important to me and most significantly, put me in touch with lovely like-minded souls like yourself who I am now blessed to call friends xx

I have been following blogs for years and have just gotten the courage to take the leap and start my own. This was incredibly helpful for a (VERY) new blogger. Thank you so much for taking the time to share. Your insight is greatly appreciated!
Katherine
EVERYDAYCELEBRATIONSBLOG.BLOGSPOT.COM

Aw thank you Katherine! This was just what I hoped would happen with this post; I hoped it would help people like you just beginning to blog. Your blog looks so wonderful already! I love the content - well done you :)

Ohmygoodness! You nailed it when you said social media would suck up a significant amount of time! I have been blogging for 6 months now, still a newbie, and I had NO idea what I was getting myself into. Luckily I love it, but it is definitely not easy. It's a full time job for sure!

I hear you Ashley! I totally had NO idea how much time social media would take up or even just how much things like photo editing, writing, editing, putting together a blog post would take. Blogging is so not easy or effortless (even for the bloggers who make it LOOK so effortless and easy! the girls at A Beautiful Mess blog spring to mind!) :)

Thanks for sharing..! That is really nice article about blogging. Actually, I am agree blogging is too longer and it is unlike what I am expect when I was start my new blog. It require to do many thing for my dream. Well, blogging is what to make the realistic dream for me. I love to challenge with other people.

I have one. And it's mostly just been for me and those that know me, but every once in a while I get a comment from a stranger that says something about how my writing touched them and I get excited. Write for you... that's where the real stuff is. When I try to create a post to gain traffic, I feel like a sellout and hate the post. So... I don't get a lot of traffic, and that's ok. I LOVE what I post, and maybe someday someone else will too.

Lana I think 'Write for you' has to be one of the best pieces of blogging advice I have read. You hit the nail on the head. Write for you and every thing you write will be authentic and honest. Your blog is really lovely by the way.

One of the things that truly has surprised be about blogging is just how much time the social media aspect takes up. It's a part time job on it's own. It's not as simple as throwing a post up here and there or putting a photo up on Instagram, it takes time and commitment to engage with people. However, the rewards are fantastic.
Thank you for your tips - I agree with so many of them. Another I would add is to set yourself up well from the start - I am in the process of trying to move my blog from Blogger to WordPress and will be purchasing a template - I wish I had done this right at the start but I'm sure in a years time I will be glad I am doing it now and not then.

That was what surprised me the most too - the social media time as well as the time spent for email. You are right that it's a part-time job on its own! - and also that the rewards are fantastic. I have actually become good friends with numerous people who started off by following my blog and are now real-life friends. I also agree with you on setting yourself well up from the start, it is worth it (and the cost). I think moving over to Wordpress will be great for you despite the hassle now. I don't have a Wordpress blog myself but everyone who has Wordpress raves about it! Your blog is great by the way - love your post variety.

Using different tools while blogging can be very helpful and time saving as a tool mention in the post for resizing the images will hep to much save time. We have many tools which we can utilize to make the blogging more effective.

Thanks for all the great info! I've been blogging for a few years but I really want to get serious about my blog. I appreciate all the information you have shared, and I think your blog is beautiful!
-Kayla theknnlife.com

This post has made me feel so much better! I literally just started a blog like two days ago and am technologically challenged... I want my blog to be a place where I can just write my heart and exhibit all the fun projects I want to do while trying to balance life and become an awesome mommy and housewife. I've been really nervous because I don't feel comfortable using Facebook that much, and I don't even have an Instagram, and Twitter feels way out of my league. But just to pick one or two of them? I have a Facebook and I think I could do the Instagram :] so this post has been very helpful because eventually I would love to make some kind of compensation and be able to do small businesses with the crafts and art that I make.
I know I have a lot of learning to do but I'm so ready to learn how to do all this even if it comes out being a fun place just to write. But I'm confident that even if it takes a while I will get there! Thank you!